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Never mind splashy screenings for the likes of Baby Mama and Speed Racer. Tribeca '08 will largely be a forum for the Little Films That Can. And many won't. Some projects may have the money for a reasonably slick marketing push; some won't have enough coin to fly the director's family out for the premiere. Regardless of the camp into which they fall, we thought it only fair to allow the people in charge of these films, the directors, to appeal to our readers themselves.
We posed the same five questions to every filmmaker accepted into the festival and offered them the chance to reply. Below are the responses we've received, virtually unedited. (We've made a few snips for clarity; that's it.)
Christopher Weekes, director of Bitter & Twisted
1 Why should someone watch your movie, in 100 words or less? (Don't just paste in your marketing blurb. Persuade our readers.)
Bitter & Twisted is a quirky Aussie indie that that shows an aspect to the country you've probably never seen before—the suburbs. Not a kangaroo in sight. Plenty of ice cream trucks and pork chops though.
2 Without spoiling your plot, describe a scene in your film that audiences will love.
That’s a difficult question. It’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. My hope is all the scenes have some element of interest to them, else I would have cut them out. Noni’s amazing performance as Penny is certainly something that will stick with you. She’s incredible.
3 If your protagonist were an animal, what would he/she be and why?
Seeing as this is an ensemble piece the characters would probably all be Siamese Fighting Fish. They take their time realizing who they want their lovers to be, but once they get there, there’s no looking back. And when they’re naughty, you separate them into jam jars.
4 What will surprise me about this movie?
The film doesn’t look at all like any other Australian film you might have seen. The cast, the crew and myself worked really hard to try and bring a dream-like quality to what’s on screen. The story has all the usual themes of love, loss and grief you might expect, but the characters here are anything but ordinary. Plus, if all else fails, perhaps you’d be interested to see what a film looks like when you have no money, a crew of 15 people and 20 days to shoot something.
5 How would describe your filmmaking style or philosophy? How is that reflected in this project?
The films I love the most have always taught me a little something. But I’ve always believed movies should be fun, no matter what. You can’t engage with a film unless you’re having fun. If you’re bored, you’re just filling time between mouthfuls of popcorn. Bitter & Twisted is a quirky little drama about people who aren’t really sure who they are yet, told with its own left-of-center humor. Just be sure you go in with some jam jars in case the fish start on you.
